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Ceiling Wiring – What to Look for and What Mistakes Are Most Common?

What should I pay attention to when installing wiring on the ceiling?

In modern apartments, it is increasingly rare to find ceilings in the “pristine” form. Usually, tension or plasterboard structures are mounted. They are very beautiful and have many advantages, one of which is the possibility of installing a large number of lamps. All of them need to be connected to the power grid and for this, it is necessary to lay wiring on the ceiling.

Common mistakes

The most important mistake that the owner of the house can make when installing wiring is to entrust this operation to a layman or to do everything yourself, without having the necessary knowledge and experience.

Very often you can see how the wiring is laid on the ceiling without any mounting boxes and protective corrugation.

This is the most common mistake and such laying of the cable can lead to a fire. If the electrical wire is damaged and a short circuit occurs, all neighboring parts of the structure can catch fire.

According to the requirements that apply to external wiring, all wires must be laid only in a protective metal hose or corrugation made of special self-extinguishing plastic.

The second common mistake is to connect all lighting fixtures and other electricity consumers to one protective shutdown device. If the load does not exceed the calculated one, then such a connection will cause inconvenience only if a short circuit occurs in one of the consumers – they will be disconnected all at once.

A more serious violation, when the installation of wiring in the apartment, including on the ceiling, is carried out, will be the connection of the switch not to the phase wire, but to the zero. In this case, even when the switch is in the “off” position, there is a danger of electric shock. For example, when changing a light bulb or connecting a luminaire.

Finally, the most dangerous and gross mistake when installing wires will be the wrong choice of their cross-section. From the economy, not the cross-section that is necessary is often chosen, but the option that is cheaper. This leads to the fact that the incorrectly selected wire is constantly heated and subjected to increased stress. Together, these factors can lead to a short circuit and fire and, as a result, to a fire.

Despite the fact that all these mistakes are very easy to avoid, they occur all the time. Some simply save money and consciously allow them, and some commit such gross violations out of ignorance.